Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Orchids From Indonesia Defeat Orchid Records "Smallest Orchid In The World" From Ecuador

Oberonia
Really Platystele sp from Ecuador is the smallest?
In late 2009 the then world orchid enlivened with international news about the discovery of the smallest-sized orchids in the world. Lou Jost, American researchers have discovered a mini orchids in Ecuador which was then claimed by the international media as the world's smallest orchid. Orchids of the genus Platystele has transverse size of 2 to 2.1 mm. If the size of 2 mm is claimed as the size of the smallest orchid in the world, then in fact Indonesia has orchids with a smaller size.

The mysterious mini orchids
Super mini orchids of the genus Oberonia sp has a transverse size of 1.1 to 1.5 mm are obtained directly from an exploration in the Mentawai islands in early 2010. Orchids of the genus Oberonia sp has bright orange flowers and inflorescence arranged in a series of hundreds of flowers arranged in a regular spiral pattern.

Until this article is raised, the identity to the species level is still unknown, this other than because of its miniature size which is quite difficult in the process of identification, also because the information in the genus Oberonia Malesiana still has not been recorded properly.

The genus is minimal attention
Literature and herbarium specimens required for the identification of reference must be excavated from herbaria in the UK and Leiden, given literature and herbarium records of orchids in Indonesia is still very limited herbaria all. The literature on the species of the genus Oberonia issue of the journal publications dominated the mid-1800s to early 1900.

Decades after that, hardly ever any related publication of this genus. Until finally in 1997 came the publication of the transfer of an orchid species from Nepal who formerly had published in 1825 under the name Stelis mucronata and now transferred to the genus into Oberonia, became Oberonia mucronata. While other significant publications of the discovery of a new species Oberonia ensifolia from Sumatra (Indonesia) by JBComber, a British taxonomist, in 2001.

For additional information, that the genus Oberonia generally does have flowers with miniature size, for the same reason orchids of this genus have less commercial value among orchid enthusiasts even though researchers. That is why there has been no research since the first world to successfully perform the revision of the genus Oberonia in Indonesia or even in the region Malesiana with success, given the number of species in this region is relatively abundant.

Nevertheless, from the standpoint of botanical orchid has a value of knowledge is priceless. Very not rule out going to find orchids with a smaller size of the wilderness of Indonesia, since there are many species Oberonia in Indonesia that has not been studied further.

Thus it can be clarified that for a while, the smallest orchid in the world record held by the orchids of Ecuador has been defeated by the orchid sp Oberonia of the Mentawai islands. Note however that I am not in a position to claim Oberonia this sp as the smallest orchid in the world, because this needs a more thorough scientific review of all species of the genus Oberonia. But at least while we can be proud because Indonesia has shifted positions orchids orchids from Ecuador who previously claimed as the smallest orchid in the world.

Source : anggrek.org

2 comments:

somoon said...

Nice entry. Thank follow Keluarga Harmoni. Follow your blog too.

Unknown said...

Great Blog my friend, beatiful photos! Congratulations and greetings from:
http://leyendas-de-oriente.blogspot.com/